Eggs Sofrito

__________________________________________________

             FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this groaner:

Did I tell you about the great concert I went to last week? It was a
tribute to Simon and Garfunkel. They had an impressive lineup - an Elvis
impersonator, Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, Rosemary Clooney and 80's TV
star Tyne Daly from Cagney & Lacey. The ensemble was billed as "Presley,
Serge, Rosemary and Tyne."

__________________________________________________

             TODAY'S RECIPE
__________________________________________________

This dish originated in Spain, where sofrito means "lightly fried" and
refers to the sauce. There are as many recipes for sofrito as there are
cooks in Spain, and I think you'll enjoy this one. You may make the
sofrito the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight.

Eggs Sofrito

For the sauce:
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped onions
1 Tbs (15 ml) finely chopped garlic
1 small red or green sweet pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) finely diced serrano* ham, or 2 oz (50 g) prosciutto
1 Spanish chorizo*, sliced into 1/4 in (5 mm) rounds, or
3 oz (75 g) other garlic seasoned pork sausage
1 Tbs (15 ml) finely chopped parsley
1 small bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup (80 ml) water

*Available in Spanish specialty shops and some supermarkets

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the
onions, garlic, and chopped pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
frequently, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the
remaining ingredients and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

For the eggs:
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
6 eggs
1/2 cup (125 ml) cooked fresh or frozen green peas
6 cooked asparagus tips, 3 to 4 in (7 to 10 cm) long
6 to 8 strips of drained, canned pimiento, each about 3 in (7 cm) long
3 Tbs (45 ml) pale dry sherry
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Coat a 9 x 9 x 2 in (25 x 25 x 5 cm) baking dish with the 2 teaspoons of
oil. Spread the sofrito evenly in the dish, discarding the bay leaf.
Break the eggs and place them in a circle on top of the sofrito. (Hint:
you may want to break the eggs into a saucer and slide them into place
on the sofrito.) Arrange the peas in mounds on the sofrito, and arrange
the asparagus around or between the eggs. Drape a pimiento slice over
each asparagus tip. Sprinkle the eggs and the vegetables with the
sherry, cover the dish, and bake in a 400F (200C) oven for about 20
minutes, until an opaque film has formed over the yolks and the egg
whites are firm. Serve at once, garnished with parsley.
Serves 6
Received on Mon Dec 1 01:45:53 2008